Spurs ‘have lost belief ’
Manager Ange Postecoglou has claimed responsibility for an abject Tottenham display after their 2-0 loss at Chelsea yesterday and admitted his players looked to have lost belief in his football.
Spurs suffered a third consecutive Premier League defeat to see their top-four hopes all but ended on a painful night in west London.
Familiar problems reared their ugly heads for Tottenham, with a Trevoh Chalobah header from Conor Gallagher’s 24th-minute freekick enough to give Chelsea a deserved half-time lead, with that goal the 15th the visitors have conceded from set-pieces this season.
Chelsea made the points safe with 18 minutes left when Nicolas Jackson headed home after Cole Palmer had smashed an effort against the crossbar, but it was also tinged with embarrassment for the away side after Son Heung-min and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg ran into each other on the goal line.
Postecoglou was animated throughout the clash at Stamford Bridge and left frustrated with another disjointed display in attack, with Tottenham able to produce only three shots on target.
“I feel like we’ve lost a bit of belief and conviction in our football and that is on me to change that. It wasn’t about conceding the [first] goal, it was our approach to playing football and we were nowhere near good enough,’’ Postecoglou said.
“It wasn’t a great night and it’s fair to say we didn’t play anywhere near the sort of football and didn’t have the mindset that I expect us to have. That’s on me and I’ve got to take responsibility for that ultimately.’’
Aston Villa are now overwhelming favourites to secure fourth spot – the last qualifying slot for the Champions League – as they lead Spurs by seven points, though Postecoglou’s men have a game in hand.
But Spurs still have to play title-chasing Manchester City and third-placed Liverpool in their last four matches. – AAP